In this pandemic, we all have, if not all, most of us have faced the same problem of having our mobile phone’s storage filled to the maximum. And why wouldn’t that happen? Our lives came to a standstill and we were stranded with our mobile phones, with 100+ memes and messages on our WhatsApp every day.
Well, this week, a new feature has been launched by WhatsApp messaging app, called “View Once”. A photo or video sent by a user, be it in a group chat or individually, will be instantly removed from the chat once the recipient opens it via WhatsApp’s “View Once” feature. The message will appear in the chat as “open” once you have viewed the media.
Not only this, but the recipient will also clearly be able to see that it is a “view once” photo/video. So while using this, one must also make sure they only send to people they trust who wouldn’t take a screenshot.
Some important features of the newly launched “View Once” feature:
- A person must select the media view once each time they want to send a photo or view a video once.
- View Once media can be restored from backup if the message was not open at the time of backup. If the photo or video has already been opened, the media will not be backed up and cannot be restored.
- You cannot forward, save, tag or share visually sent or received photos or videos once media is enabled.
The messaging app, WhatsApp, in a blog post on how this feature is going to be useful in our day-to-day lives. It would create less hassle from the overwhelming amount of media that we receive on this app.
WhatsApp says that this feature can be used for sharing pictures like trying new clothes at a store, a quick reaction to a moment in time, or something sensitive like a Wi-Fi password. The media that will be shared using this feature will have a “View Once” icon on them.
How to send a ‘View Once’ photo/ video?
- Open an individual or group chat.
- Take a new photo or video with your camera or attach one from the photo gallery. Videos recorded using WhatsApp are limited to 16MB.
- Tap 1 and send.
- You’ll see an Opened receipt in the chat once the recipient has viewed the photo or video.
Though there’s a catch to this. You’ll be able to see if recipients opened photos or videos only if their read receipts are on. If the media sent by a user is not viewed by the receiver within 14 days, it will expire from the chat.
